It never ends in Maricopa County...

First, the County settles one Arpaio-related lawsuit.

From AZCentral.com -

Maricopa County will pay $500,000 to the family of an inmate slain last year by another inmate while in custody at Fourth Avenue Jail.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Wednesday to settle the case; Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox was absent.

But just when you think that maybe the litigation load dropped on the County's shoulders by Arpaio is receding, news of yet another lawsuit breaks.

Also from AZCentral.com -

Former Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools Sandra Dowling filed suit Wednesday in Superior Court against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Board of Supervisors because of a 2006 SWAT team invasion of her home and a subsequent criminal prosecution that ended in a single misdemeanor conviction.

In the lawsuit - filed by attorney Michael Manning, a frequent Arpaio antagonist - Dowling alleges negligence, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and several constitutional violations.

In light of all of these lawsuits, one might expect that an agency head that tries to maintain even a pretense of professionalism might focus on training standards to ensure that the events that resulted in one death and two lawsuits don't occur again.

In such a case, one would be disappointed.

Not when that agency head would rather focus on harassing his perceived enemies, even expending some of the County's scarce resources on vague and futile fishing expeditions against the County's court system. Apparently, some of the judges there have offended the agency head's sensibilities by criticizing him for failing to see that prisoners in his custody are brought to court in a timely manner.

Look for the supes to continue holding executive sessions on a weekly basis for the duration of Arpaio's term in office, and for years afterward.